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WESTERN STATES GEOGRAPHY
ALASKA, HAWAII, CALIFORNIA, OREGON, WASHINGTON, IDAHO,
MONTANA, WYOMING,COLORADO, NEVADA,
ARIZONA. UTAH, NEW MEXICO
LOCATION IN THE U.S.
Do you know?
• http://www.studenthandouts.com/Games-06/US-GEOGRAPHY-The-Western-States-Map-Multiple-Choice-Quiz.html
DIVIDED INTO SUB REGIONS
• PACIFIC STATES & CAPITALS
– HAWAII--HONOLULU
– ALASKA--JUNEAU
– CALIFORNIA--SACRAMENTO
– OREGON--SALEM
– WASHINGTON--OLYMPIA
Pacific States
MOUNTAIN STATES & CAPITALS
• ARIZONA--PHOENIX• NEVADA--CARSON CITY• UTAH--SALT LAKE CITY• IDAHO--BOISE• NEW MEXICO--SANTA FE• COLORADO--DENVER• WYOMING--CHEYENNE• MONTANA--HELENA
THE MOUNTAIN STATES
WESTERN STATES AREA & POPULATION
• THE LARGEST REGION, BY AREA, MAKING UP NEARLY 50% OF U.S.
• CONTAINS OVER 91 MILLION PEOPLE--BUT FEWEST NUMBER OF PEOPLE PER SQUARE MILE– POPULATION DENSITY
• MOST DIVERSITY IN CLIMATE AND GEOGRAPHY
IMPORTANT MOUNTAINS• ROCKY MOUNTAINS
– LARGEST RANGE IN U.S. – STRETCHES FROM ALASKA TO NEW
MEXICO– TALLEST MOUNTAINS OF THIS CHAIN ARE
IN COLORADO– CALLED THE “CONTINENTAL DIVIDE”
COASTAL MOUNTAINS
• COASTAL MOUNTAINS– ALONG PACIFIC COASTLINE– AFFECT RAINFALL
CASCADE MOUNTAINS
• CASCADE MOUNTAINS– NORTHERN MOUNTAINS BETWEEN
COASTALS AND ROCKIES– INCLUDES MT. SHASTA
THE SIERRA NEVADA MOUNTAINS
• SIERRA NEVADA MOUNTAINS– SOUTHERN MOUNTAINS BETWEEN
COASTALS AND SOUTHERN ROCKIES
THE GREAT AMERICAN DESERTS OF THE WEST
• LOCATED IN THE SOUTHWESTERN STATES
• INCLUDES THE – MOJAVE DESERT– SONORAN DESERT– GREAT BASIN DESERT– CHIHUAHUA DESERT
WESTERN RIVERS
• COLUMBIA RIVER- LOCATED IN PACIFIC NORTHWEST– TRIBUTARY IS THE SNAKE RIVER– CREATES THE MULTNOMAH FALLS
COLORADO RIVER
• FLOWS THROUGH THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
• MAJOR SOURCE OF WATER AND POWER.
• CREATES HOOVER DAM!
COLORADO RIVER
• CREATES THE FAMOUS GRAND CANYON
• ONE OF THE GREAT TOURIST ATTRACTIONS OF THE WEST.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvzlZuWrJNw
CLIMATE REGIONS OF THE WEST
• SEMI-ARID TO ARID (LITTLE RAINFALL)– SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, RENO, NEVADA, SANTA FE,
NEW MEXICO
• DECIDUOUS AND CONIFEROUS– AMPLE RAINFALL, MANY TREES AND VEGETATION– OREGON, WASHINGTON, NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
• WET TROPICAL CLIMATE– HAWAII
• COLD TUNDRA REGION– SPARSE GRASS AND VEGETATION OF
ALASKA
CLIMATES VARY A GREAT DEAL
• LOW ELEVATIONS-- SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA--HAWAII– WARM-HOT SUMMERS AND LITTLE SNOW
• HIGHER ELEVATIONS--MONTANA & WYOMING– WARM SUMMERS WITH HEAVY AND EARLY
SNOW• DESERT SOUTHWEST--ARIZONA & NEVADA
– VERY HOT SUMMERS -MILD WINTERS• NORTHWEST--OREGON AND WASHINGTON
– CONTINENTAL CLIMATE
NATURAL RESOURCES OF THE WEST
• GOLD AND SILVER STRIKES OF THE 1800’S DREW PEOPLE TO THE SOUTH WEST
• PEOPLE INVESTED THEIR MONEY IN MINING COMPANIES
• THE CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH OF 1849 BROUGHT THOUSANDS TO CALIFORNIA
ALASKA
• CONSIDERED THE STATE WITH THE MOST VALUABLE RESOURCES.– GOLD DISCOVERED IN 1894
• TODAY ALASKA IS A MAJOR SUPPLIER OF OIL AND NATURAL GAS TO THE OTHER STATES
OTHER IMPORTANT RESOURCES
• OIL IN THE SOUTHWEST AND MOUNTAIN REGIONS OF MONTANA
• GOLD AND SILVER DEPOSITS IN ALASKA AND SOUTHWEST
• HYDROELECTRIC POWER--NORTHWEST AND FROM HOOVER DAM
KEY INDUSTRIES OF THE NORTHWEST
• THE FISHING INDUSTRY--OREGON, WASHINGTON, AND ALASKA.– BRINGS IN BILLIONS OF DOLLARS
EACH YEAR.
• THE FORESTRY INDUSTRY-2nd dominant industry!– PROVIDES OVER 50% OF U.S.
LUMBER
AGRICULTURE OF THE WESTERN REGIONS
• BEEF CATTLE--RANCHES OF THE SOUTHWEST AND THE AREAS OF MONTANA AND WYOMING.
• DAIRY CATTLE --OF CALIFORNIA, OREGON, AND WASHINGTON.
AGRICULTURE OF THE WESTERN REGION
• APPLES OF WASHINGTON STATE• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmCRchd5
k08
• CITRUS FRUIT OF CALIFORNIA AND THE SOUTHWEST.
• IDAHO POTATOES• WHEAT OF EASTERN MONTANA AND
WYOMING
MAJOR CITIES OF THE WESTERN REGION
• WESTERN CITIES GREW AS TRANSPORTATION IMPROVED.– TRANSCONTINENTAL RAILROAD OF 1869– CITIES LIVING BETTER THAN LIVING IN HARSH
LANDS OF SOUTHWEST AND MOUNTAINS
• SOME CITIES HAD TO DEVELOP WAYS TO GET WATER TO THEIR CITIES.– SALT LAKE CITY ESTABLISHED IRRIGATION– LOS ANGELES BUILT AQUEDUCTS TO BRING
WATER FROM THE MOUNTAINS